On Thursday, August 31st, the 2016/2017 Markham
Waxers Minor Atom Select team participated in the every hockey players dream –
to train at the Air Canada Centre with the coaching and training staff of the
Toronto Maple Leafs!
Last season, the team won the Grand Prize in the Ford Drills and Skills competition by getting involved in community service, and by winning an online voting contest. Nearly 400 teams entered the competition and there were only 16 Grand Prize winners!
For their community service, the Minor Atom Selects chose to do an equipment drive and donate the equipment to the Markham Waxers. The equipment was be sold at the annual equipment swap at affordable prices. All of the money raised goes to the Waxers "Yes, You Can Play!" program which provides financial assistance to children who would like to play hockey but otherwise don't have the means financially for registration fees.
The team had an incredible day – starting with an on-ice training session at the Air Canada Centre with the Toronto Maple Leafs trainers.
They then went to an off-ice training session which was held in the Toronto Raptors practice court where they learned about and participated in off-ice drills.
Next was a nutrition and media session. The team got the opportunity to stand at a media podium just like the Leafs! They also learned about great nutrition from one of the top chefs for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The day ended with a very special guest speaker – Andrew Brewer who is currently one of the Assistant Coaches for the Leafs. Brewer gave the kids an inspiring talk about what it takes to be a great hockey player – and focussed in on what he believes are the two most important qualities – “skating and thinking”.
The team would like to thank Ford Motor Company and the Toronto Maple Leafs for this fantastic opportunity, and would also like to thank the Markham Waxers organization and all of the many Waxers families for their support and for the votes many of you gave the team to help them win the Grand Prize.
Go Waxers Go!